I’m honestly asking the US in us

Ok, so…yes. Let’s be adults and admit the truth. All of them. One of them is this:

Some people empowered by money, who are considered by some to be powerful people,

along with and in addition to

some empowered people elected and sworn in,

above all else,

“To Protect and Defend our form of democratic governance,…”

as imperfectly as it is still being practiced,

“from all enemies…” Full stop there.

And now, a simple point of clarification:

1) A citizen wants to improve whatever inequities their governing system currently does not yet address. (please note: we will never get to perfect)

Whereas, to be perfectly clear,

2) An enemy seeks not to improve a process or a system, but to destroy it. To break it down. Even the stuff that was actually not all that bad. To pit us against us and tear it all down since it’s not perfect. To divide us into tiny bits of angriness that cannot seem to unite against those who deliberately mislead and incite, those who are now using violent tantrums of language and policies to remain in, and gain more, power.

Democracy has always been a work in progress. The Declaration of Independence is our “Mission Statement” and the Constitution and its Bill of Rights is the blueprint they debated intensely…under the most dire of circumstances…and--

at the possible and likely expense of their lives as they knew it up until then -

they risked everything for the chance to establish a more equitable and decent way to live together rather than adopting the Olde World Money Order Rule:

“They that have the gold, shall make the rules.”

(Naturally, that rule was made by gold diggers.)

Now, in the mid 1770s, there were dreamers on this side of the pond that believed they had been given a fresh start here in this New World and they (some of them) wanted a clean break from the remote, isolated landlords laying claim to the rest of the whatever lands they’d never actually set foot on. That’s their story, anyway.

The blueprint these radicals hammered out and put into use reflected the best known theoretical practices possible at the time for a democratic society, a society based upon the equal respect and empowerment of each of its citizens. Bold theory, and most of its principles were being “borrowed” from many of the other ongoing revolutions, which just so happened to be also at various stages of progression around the globe around those tumultuous times.

Our wigged and white-haired revolutionaries inked a changeable and adaptable process of voting as the best way of reflecting our society’s “progress” as an organizational human enterprise. They envisioned a far better arrangement for our living electively together as human beings rather than being forced to by blood lines, blood-letting, or bloodied money…and negotiating honestly rather than conquering and controlling by way of force. Collaboration and cooperation for the mutual benefit of all, and for those “rights” being equally shared and participated in, were their intended and stated goals.

They were aspirational. They were inspirational. The whole world has been drawn to this experiment. It has universal appeal because it addresses our human truth. We are one another’s keepers. We are here to love, and to choose what life might be and feel like to stand united against the self-seeking selfishness of the desperate and fearful.

More than a parcel of land that had changed hands,

America was, is and always will be a vision. No matter what the name.

And Freedom lovers are fighting and dying for it every day in whatever country and in whatever ways they can. The truth is that Ukraine is on the exposed and most visible front line in the headlines today. All decent human beings are horrified to witness the indecent, inhumane, immoral backwards retreat that the incursion of one sovereign nation actually IS. This action by Putin (and his associates) doesn’t represent a step backwards for Russia itself. This action is a shove backwards for the whole world as well.

And then the madness continues as the words, as the threat is issued to allow this naked aggression to stand, or by resisting being taken over, Putin blames the West for that resistance pushing him forward to the brink of what is surely the last war. Nice try at an old and tired trick. (Blink twice if you don’t know what I mean.)

Well, as we all know as decent human beings, Home is where the heart is. Home is where we are free as equals to be decent and kind, different and respected. They deserve our unconditional support as they valiantly battle for a better life.

Back here in these chaotic states, there are some who shout that their freedoms start first and matter most, and so, apparently they feel that the rest of us are free to agree with them or we are against their freedom. Nice try at an old and tired trick. (keep blinking if you still don’t see what I’m pointing at clearly)

All differing perspectives or approaches are instantly labeled ‘false’, ‘fake’, ‘hostile’, ‘nasty’, and on and on, yadda yadda yadda.

Bottom line is that some believe that their inalienable rights are “god given”, and that’s the ones they got, and all others’ freedoms, well, those freedoms have to be earned on a case (class?) by social caste (case?) basis and they, those elected officials in particular, believe they can legislate who has earned what.

So, yes, there are those who are born in america, and for that fact call themselves American, and, yet, who do not believe in the vision that IS America, who do not seek to work towards liberty and justice for all, who do not steadfastly insist that we are truly a democracy with a system of government based upon the principle and rule of laws, wherein no one is considered above the law and that our duty is to apply the law to all equally…

or truly, where is the justice in that?

So, back to the beginning of this piece,

It is clear that there were some powerful persons who violated the public trust, who did some despicable and dishonorable things.

They betrayed themselves,

their oaths,

their integrity and honor

with and by their continued dishonesties.

Will our system hold…and hold them accountable?

Will we at the voting booth?

I’m honestly asking the United States in all of us.

a.citizen